This Week: This weekend will be perhaps the toughest road trip of the year, both from a travel and logistical standpoint, and from an opponent standpoint as the Heat will have a Friday night game in Saskatoon versus the Huskies, and will then battle the Alberta Pandas in Edmonton on Saturday.

Friday night the Heat will hit the court against the Huskies at 4:15 p.m. PST at the Physical Activity Complex in Saskatoon, SK.

Last action: For the fifth time this season Heather Semeniuk’s UBC Okanagan women’s basketball squad earned a split in their weekend games and have improved their Canada West record to 5-8 and 3-3 at home this season.

Friday night the Heat couldn’t find a way to score going down the stretch and the then No. 10 ranked Calgary Dinos were able to come back and topple UBC Okanagan 74-71. Saturday the Heat really turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Lethbridge Pronghorns to just 29.4% shooting en route to a 66-58 victory.

Looking ahead: Next week it is as big as it gets for the Heat. The UBC Okanagan squad will host for the first time in conference play the UBC Thunderbirds in Kelowna. The two UBC squads will play a pair of games next Friday and Saturday night.

This weekend’s foe (Huskies): The Heat are somewhat fortunate in playing Saskatchewan on their home court as the Huskies have only been able to capture a single win in five attempts in front of their Saskatoon faithful. The Huskies are 5-2 on the road for a 6-6 record overall. Saskatchewan has been successful against the Pacific division, however, having gotten the better of Trinity, Mount Royal, UNBC, and UBC – the only Pacific schools to best U of S are No. 1 Fraser Valley and No. 9 Victoria.

Head-to-head (Huskies + Heat): These two teams were virtual strangers until last year when they met in Saskatoon in a Canada West conference game. The host Huskies took down the CIS newbies 92-55.

Huskies to watch: Reigning Canada West Rookie of the Year Dalyce Emmerson continues to lead her team, tallying 18.1 points and 9.0 rebounds per game. Fourth-year guard Kiera Lyons has also been strong in 2012-13 with 14.8 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.

Tale of the tape:

SASK

TEAM STATISTICS

UBCO

67.7

Points per game

65.8

+2.5

Scoring margin

-6.5

.425

Field goal pct

.340

.383

Opp. field goal pct

.399

.312

3-point FG pct

.282

5.2

3-pt FG made per game

4.9

.682

Free throw pct

.785

39.7

Rebounds per game

39.5

+4.5

Rebounding margin

-4.5

13.3

Assists per game

9.5

20.3

Turnovers per game

23.5

-2.9

Turnover margin

-1.5

.7

Assist/turnover ratio

.4

8.1

Steals per game

10.7

2.4

Blocks per game

1.5

This weekend’s foe (Pandas): The Pandas are in third place in the Prairie division with a 7-5 record. Alberta was on a four game win streak before falling to the No. 1 team in the country, the Fraser Valley Cascades, last Saturday night in Abbotsford. The Pandas have lost to mostly ranked opponents this season with No. 5 UBC and No.9 Victoria doing the trick, and with the formerly ranked and 10-2 Dinos getting them twice.

Head-to-head (Pandas + Heat): These two teams have met just the one time since 2007 during the conference matchup last year. Alberta bested the Heat 84-40.

Pandas to watch: In Alberta’s past seven games, third-year forward Kendra Asleson led her team in points three times and tied teammate and third-year guard Sally Hillier for the team-high twice. Asleson is also the current scoring leader for Alberta, averaging 11.1 points per game, and leads in rebounds (6.3 per game) and field goal percentage (58.3%, ranked third in Canada West) as well.

Helping her out on the court is Edmonton native Saskia Van Ginhoven, the third-year forward not far behind in the latter two categories, with stats of 5.8 per game and 57.0% (fourth in the conference), respectively.

Tale of the tape:

ALBERTA

TEAM STATISTICS

UBCO

68.9

Points per game

65.8

+12.8

Scoring margin

-6.5

.428

Field goal pct

.340

.377

Opp. field goal pct

.399

.331

3-point FG pct

.282

4.8

3-pt FG made per game

4.9

.737

Free throw pct

.785

35.1

Rebounds per game

39.5

+8.2

Rebounding margin

-4.5

13.1

Assists per game

9.5

19.2

Turnovers per game

23.5

+2.4

Turnover margin

-1.5

.7

Assist/turnover ratio

.4

10.2

Steals per game

10.7

1.3

Blocks per game

1.5

For the Heat: Sarah Allison is averaging 15.7 points per game to lead the Heat, the second year guard has led the team in scoring in 8 of the team’s 13 games, and plays 32 minutes of game for Heather Semeniuk’s squad. The other second year guard for the Heat, Emily Kanester, is having a solid sophomore season. She is averaging 11.1 ppg, second on the squad, 5.5 rpg, third for the Heat and has made it to the charity stripe a team high 75 times, and has converted 80% of those chances.

SASKATOON – With an interim coach at the helm, the Saskatchewan Huskies suad enters another year looking to be a force in the Canada West.

The Huskies will have a core group of returning athletes working under new head coach Jill Humbert. Humbert, a former standout student-athlete with the Huskies, is filling in for Lisa Thomaidis, who is on a professional leave of absence for the 2012-13 season.

Returning to the Huskies starting lineup will be Canada West Rookie of the Year Dalyce Emmerson, as well as guards Kabree Howard and Kiera Lyons. Emmerson made a big impact in 2011-12 as one of two players in the CIS to average a double-double with 13.4 points per game and 10.5 rebounds per game. Howard quarterbacks’ the offence averaging nine points per game and tallying 54 assists last season. Lyons averaged 15 minutes per game off the bench for the Huskies in 2011-12 and will be looked at to fulfill one of the starter roles left vacant.

Adding to the team will be high school recruits Kaylee Halvorson, Bailey Johnson and Desarae Hogberg. Halvorson has big experience on the international stage. The perimeter player represented Canada at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship for Women. She has also played for Canada on the U17 Women’s Youth Olympic 3-on-3 team, as well as the Cadette National team. Johnson was a member of the Junior Huskies program, while Hogberg played with Saskatchewan’s provincial team.

EDMONTON – A revamped Alberta Pandas roster should be in the mix for a Canada West playoff spot during the 2012-13 season.

The Pandas enter the having lost Nicole Clarke, Sarah Binns, and Jill Verhesen at the guard position, as well as forward Caitlin Stiksma. Alberta will be looking to return to the playoffs for the seventh-straight season.

Albert does return Sally Hillier and Katie Arbuthnot at guard, as well as sophomore Renee Byrne, who made Canada’s Junior National team this summer, and Megan Wickstrom in the backcourt. Also returning to the Evergreen and Gold are forwards Saskia Van Ginhoven, fifth-year Anneka Bakker, Andria Carlyon, Kelly Lyons, Arianne Sakundiak, Megan Vande Kraats, while Kendra Asleson has rejoined the team after taking the 2011-12 season off.

Alberta’s inside game should be among the best in Canada West and will lean heavily on Bakker. The Ottawa native is in her final season and is one of key leaders on the team. She led Alberta in scoring in all three games and was named a tournament all-star at the UNB tournament.

The Pandas have added a trio of guards to their stable, each of whom could see playing time this season. First-year Maddie Rogers joins the Pandas from Calgary, while Kendall Lydon is originally from Washington State, but played her high-school ball in St. Albert, and second-year Jessilyn Fairbanks comes over to the Pandas after previously playing at Grant MacEwan.